Students' self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization in the process of studying at a university

Plotnikova Elena Sergeevna Postgraduate student of the Department of Psychology at Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University 679000, Russia, Evreiskaya Avtonomnaya oblast', g. Birobidzhan, ul. Shirokaya, 70A plotnikova88@inbox.ru Other publications by this author

Borzova Tatyana Vladimirovna Doctor of Psychology Professor, the department of Psychology, Pacific National University 680000, Russia, Khabarovskii krai, g. Khabarovsk, ul. Karla Marksa, 68 borzova_tatiana@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The modern educational environment of the university includes many opportunities for professional self-realization of students, the development of their soft competencies, personal resource qualities and abilities. The variability of the possibilities of self-realization of students in the process of studying at a university presupposes the realization of an informed choice of the path of self-realization in a future profession. This includes the choice of courses, extracurricular activities, research topics and other activities. Self-determination as one of the most important motivational characteristics of a person allows you to make a meaningful choice of ways of self-realization based on awareness of your goals, interests, desires and motives.

The relevance of the presented research is determined by the need to develop self-determination as a psychological resource for students' self-realization, providing them with the opportunity to consciously choose the path of professional development in a multivariate range of opportunities and offers of the educational environment.

The purpose of the research presented in the article is to study the effectiveness of testing a psychological and pedagogical program for the development of self-determination as a psychological resource for students' self-realization. The realization of this goal will allow us to show the possibilities of developing self-determination of students in the educational process, including the activities of the psychological service in this direction.

The object of the study was the phenomenon of self-determination. The subject of the study is the development of students' self-determination as a psychological resource of self-realization in the process of studying at a university.

The main methodological concept that allows us to consider self-determination as a resource for students' self-realization in the educational environment of the university was the scientific approach of D.A. Leontiev. Self-determination, in his opinion, is a condition for the orientation of a person in the space of possible elections. "Autonomy and self-determination are necessary for a person in order to orient our behavior in the space of the possible," D.A. Leontiev writes in his article ^{[4, p.16]}. Awareness of the multiple possibilities and their own personality (abilities, interests, needs) allows students in the process of studying at a university to form an attitude towards certain types of activities, choose courses, extracurricular activities based on their interests, and at the same time taking into account external determinants (the need of society for specialists with certain qualities and skills, the need to master certain competencies).

Moreover, self-determination allows students not only to make a choice, but also to see its various possibilities. "An unnoticed chance does not become a real opportunity, and the discovery of meaning leads to a huge expansion of what is really possible for a person," writes D.A. Leontiev ^{[5, p. 115]}. Awareness of the realities of the educational environment of the university allows students to build their individual trajectory of self-realization, consciously using the offered opportunities for personal and professional development.

According to P.N. Osipov, university students should have the following qualities:

- "the ability to analyze one's own personality (qualities necessary for further professional activity and the need for their development);

– the ability to set goals and develop activity programs (identify and improve the necessary qualities);

– the ability to carry out activities to achieve the set goals, using volitional efforts on oneself;

– the ability to self–regulate in activities involving self-control, self-analysis, self-assessment of its progress and results, and, if necessary, correction - clarification of goals and objectives" ^{[5, p. 4]}.

These personality qualities correspond to some components of self-determination highlighted in the presented study, namely: autonomy, self-expression, the ability to self-government, meaningfulness of life.

N.S. Yushchenko, A.V. Smirnov, A.A. Davydova, A.P. Tsilinko among the qualities of students contributing to self-realization, creativity, independence, and the desire for career growth are distinguished. As a pedagogical condition for students' creative self-realization, the authors consider club student leisure, the main function of which is the recovery process, organized with the help of wellness programs and various forms of work, allowing them to experience new emotional experiences, psychological relaxation ^[12].

V.K. Grigorova believes that the formation of a personality in adolescence occurs solely at the expense of self-awareness, in the process of interaction with the society and culture with which he interacts. Personality qualities acquired in adolescence and necessary for professional self-realization, a person acquires during his lifetime, through social inheritance, which is realized as the transfer of human experience through education. According to V.K. Grigorova, the leading pedagogical tool contributing to the manifestation of self–development is the introduction of a person into culture - acquaintance with the wealth of knowledge, experience, relationships and activities of mankind ^[1]. In addition, he must not only master various ways of activity, but also critically evaluate it, creatively change it (P.G. Shchedrovitsky) ^[9].

The importance of the socio-cultural determination of students' self-realization is also confirmed by the research of E.N. Shutenko. According to her work, the main conditions for the self-realization of a student's personality in university education are "the student's personal involvement in the learning process, the realization of abilities in the learning process and social integration into the educational space of the university. At the same time, the social integration of students into the educational space of the university is possible by helping them solve personal problems, organizing student leisure, developing a sense of community, mutual assistance and mutual support among students" ^{[9, p. 150]}. At the same time, E.N. Shutenko emphasizes that students' self–realization is not only the key to their successful professional and life formation as future specialists, but also "a kind of humanitarian mainstream of the effectiveness of university training itself as a whole" ^{[10, pp. 170-171]}.

Considering the self-realization of students, the problem of satisfaction with the choice of profession should also be mentioned. A.A. Rean's work describes a study according to which only 60% of students are satisfied with their chosen profession. At the same time, satisfaction with the chosen profession in the first year is higher than in subsequent ones. According to A.A. Rean, the tendency to decrease satisfaction with the profession may be the result of both "objective reasons (the level of teaching at a particular university) and subjective ones (as students study, the shadow sides of the future specialty are revealed)" ^{[8, p. 84]}. The solution to this problem is largely due to the quality of career guidance at school, however, teachers, curators and psychologists at the university have to deal with students who have doubts about their chosen profession.

The importance of professional self-determination in the process of self-realization of the subject of activity is also described in the study by E. F. Zeer, A. A. Sharov. The success of self-realization is largely related to satisfaction with the choice of profession and the need for self-development and self-change ^[2]. And, on the contrary, according to M.D. Petrash and O.Y. Strizhitskaya, the unconscious choice of the sphere of professional self-realization manifests itself in uncertainty about the correctness of choosing a future profession, or in confidence in its wrongness and inability to realize oneself through the learning process and disappointment in the chosen direction ^[7].

In the work of A.K. Osnitsky, N.V. Byakova, S.V. Istomina published the results of an empirical study of the formation of self-regulation among students and schoolchildren with different levels of success in professional development. With a low level of professional development, the subjects had difficulties in reflection, an unformed emotional orientation, and an inability to make a long-term effort ^[6]. Therefore, important areas of work with students in both academic and extracurricular activities are the development of interest in future professional activities, the formation of individual professional trajectories and psychological assistance in overcoming difficulties of self-regulation and self-government.

Thus, the conditions and opportunities of the educational environment of higher education can serve as a source of self-realization of students if they are focused on the development of self-determination, internal motivation for learning, student involvement in the learning process, the development of their abilities in it and social integration both in study groups and between study groups. In many ways, the creation of such conditions is possible through developing work within the framework of the activities of the psychological service of the university.

The research presented in this article was conducted on the basis of the Center for Social Adaptation and Psychological Health Support at the Amur State University named after Sholom Aleichem. At the formative stage, 30 full-time students of various fields of study took part in the study. The control group also included 30 students who did not participate in the program for the development of self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization. The control group of students was representative of the general population according to the main characteristics (age, level of education, leading type of activity), which ensured the external validity of the experiment.

The following methods were used as diagnostic research methods: "Self-determination test" by E.N. Osin, modification of the Sheldon self-determination scale; "Test of life orientations" by D.A. Leontiev; test "Ability to self-government" by N.M. Peisakhov. The calculation of the Student's T-test for connected and disconnected samples was also applied.

The program for the development of self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization of university students was developed on the basis of theoretical approaches to self-determination and included three blocks reflecting its components: autonomy, self-expression, the ability to self-government, meaningfulness of life (see Table 1).

Table 1 – Program for the development of self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization of university students

The events of the program were held in a group form in the form of interactive classes. The occupancy of the groups was 15 people each (2 groups).

The purpose of the program was to develop the components of self-determination as a psychological and pedagogical resource for self-realization of students' personality.

Program objectives:

1.         To introduce students to the psychology of self-determination and self-realization and the influence of self-determination on the self-realization of a person in adolescence.

2.         To promote the development of a balance between the manifestation of personal freedom and responsibility, the development of an understanding of personal attitudes that limit personal self-expression.

3.         To promote the development of the ability to self-government.

4.         To promote the development of meaningfulness of life, the ability to set and realize life goals.

Table 2 - Thematic content of the psychological and pedagogical program of self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization of university students

Table 3 shows the results of the analysis of the differences in the components of self-determination of the experimental and control groups at the stage of primary diagnosis, carried out by calculating the Student's t-test for unrelated samples. The number of degrees of freedom K=58. tcr=2.00 for P?0.05 and tcr=2.66 for P?0.01.

Table 3 – Results of the analysis of differences in the components of self-determination of the experimental and control groups at the stage of primary diagnosis

Note: m is the average error of the average.

From the data presented in Table 3, it can be seen that the components of self-determination in the control and experimental groups do not differ statistically. The analysis of changes in the level of development of the components of self-determination among students that occurred in these groups between the primary and final diagnosis reflected the psychological result of the implementation of the developmental program. These changes are presented in Table 4. The number of degrees of freedom K =58. tcr=2.00 for P?0.05 and tcr=2.66 for P?0.01.

Table 4 – Results of the analysis of differences in the components of self-determination of the experimental and control groups at the stage of final diagnosis

Note: m is the average error of the average.

As a result of the implementation of the program for the development of self-determination components, statistically significant differences in self-determination indicators in the control and experimental groups were revealed. To determine the reliability of the differences in the results of the primary and final diagnostics of the components of self-determination, the Student's t-test for connected samples was calculated. The number of degrees of freedom K=28. tcr=2.05 for P?0.05 and tcr=2.76 for P?0.01.

As can be seen from table 4, the most pronounced changes occurred in indicators of the ability to self-government (in all but "decision-making") This suggests that educational classes primarily helped students cope with difficulties associated with the manifestation of self-control in activities and behavior, taught planning, goal setting, forecasting and analyzing the results of their actions.

There have also been changes in indicators such as autonomy and self-expression, which indicates the possibility of their development through developmental psychological and pedagogical classes. These indicators collectively show a person's ability to act according to their interests and desires, but at the same time, taking into account external circumstances. These qualities are necessary in the process of self-realization of a future specialist in modern multivariate learning and professional activities.

Indicators of the meaningfulness of life after the implementation of the program have also changed in a positive way. However, no significant differences were found in the indicators "process of life", "result of life", "locus of control "I". The first two indicators measure the emotional assessment of life and the results of self–realization, the third is the degree of taking responsibility for what is happening. The absence of changes may indicate the difficulty of developing these qualities with the help of developmental psychological and pedagogical activities. Perhaps their development requires longer work or psychotherapy.

The results of the primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of autonomy and self-expression among students of the experimental and control groups are presented in Table 5.

Table 5 – Comparative analysis of the results of primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of autonomy and self-expression among students of the experimental and control groups

From the results presented in Table 5, it can be seen that changes in the values of autonomy and self-expression are observed in both the experimental and control groups. The reliability of the differences between the results of the primary and final diagnosis of students in the experimental group is evidenced by the Student's t-test value of 2.56 and 2.56 (K=28. tcr=2.05 for P?0.05 and tcr=2.76 for P?0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the control group.

The absence of statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the values of the indicator of autonomy and self-expression before the start of the program and their presence after confirms its effectiveness. A decrease in the number of students in the experimental group with low and medium levels of autonomy and self-expression, as well as a significant increase in the number of students in this group with a high level of its development, indicates the positive impact of the program on the development of autonomy and self-expression among students in the experimental group.

The results of the primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of the ability to self-government among students of the experimental and control groups on the test "Ability to self-government" by N.M. Peisakhov are presented in Table 6.

Table 6 – Comparative analysis of the results of the primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of the ability to self-government among students of the experimental and control groups

From the results presented in table 6, it can be seen that changes in the levels of development of the ability to self-government are observed in both the experimental and control groups. The reliability of the differences between the results of the primary and final diagnosis of students in the experimental group is evidenced by the Student's t-test value of 7.719 (K=28. tcr=2.05 for P?0.05 and tcr=2.76 for P?0.01). There were no significant differences in these indicators in the control group.

The absence of statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the values of the indicator of the ability to self-government before the beginning of the formative stage of the experiment and their presence after its completion can be legitimately considered as confirmation of the effectiveness of the experimental developmental program. A decrease in the number of students in the experimental group with low and below average levels of self-management ability, as well as a significant increase in the number of students in this group with average, above average and high levels of its development indicates a positive impact of the program on the development of self-management ability among students in the experimental group.

The results of the primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of the meaningfulness of life (according to the "Test of life orientations" by D.A. Leontiev) for students of the experimental and control groups are presented in Table 7.

Table 7 – Comparative analysis of the results of the primary and final diagnostics of the level of development of the meaningfulness of life in students of the experimental and control groups

As a result of the implementation of the program, the number of students with a high level of meaningfulness of life in the experimental group increased significantly, which is also confirmed in Table 7, while the results of the D.A. Leontiev test in the control group did not change.

Thus, the development of students' self-determination can be one of the main activities of the psychological service of the university, ensuring the effectiveness of their professional self-realization in the learning process. Purposeful systematic activities for the development of students' self-determination may contain measures for the development of its components: autonomy, self-expression, the ability to self-government, meaningfulness of life. The meaningfulness of life, as a component of self-determination, allows you to understand the conditions of professional self-realization and see the application of your goals in them. The development of this quality in a future specialist will help him to form a clear idea of his place in the professional world, about the need to develop certain personal qualities and competencies. The development of autonomy as a component of self-determination will largely allow students to choose multivariate forms of educational and extracurricular activities that enhance professional and personal qualities. Self-expression, as a component of self-determination, determines the degree of manifestation of one's personal qualities in the process of activity and interaction with others. The development of self-expression will allow students to confidently take the initiative in educational and professional activities, which will allow them to fully realize their potential. The development of the ability to self-government is also an important area of activity of the presented program, which allows students to assist in improving their own management skills. As a result of the program, students were able to develop activity planning skills, including prioritizing tasks, planning time spent on their solution, setting long-term goals and evaluating the effectiveness of their planning.

The program for the development of self-determination as a psychological resource for students' self-realization presented in the article makes it possible to solve these tasks in higher education. Undoubtedly, the structure of the program and the choice of methods and techniques can be changed depending on the conditions of its implementation, or it is possible to choose its individual activities for educational activities at the university.

Further work on the study of the possibilities of developing self-determination of university students based on the results obtained will include expanding the list of methods, including structured methodological materials for homework in activities and using digital diagnostic tools and feedback.

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